Beer Inspires 'Mojoceratops' Dinosaur Name

While drinking usually does not mesh with focus-intensive occupations such as operating heavy machinery, a post-doctoral student recently discovered
that paleontology and libations are a fine combination. Joseph
Calamia at Discover reports that Yale post-doc Nicholas Longrich
dubbed a newly discovered dinosaur "Mojoceratops" while boozing with
some fellow paleontologists. Why Mojoceratops? The recently-discovered
skeleton of a triceratops-like dinosour boasts "the best head stylings
of the Late Cretaceous." "A lover–scientists suspect he used his
flamboyant frill to attract mates–Mojoceratops lived 75 million years
ago, about 10 million years earlier than his more conservatively coiffed
cousin, Triceratops," quips Calamia.

Longrich first found
Mojoceratops in 2008 while digging through the American Museum of
Natural History’s fossil collection. He noted that some skulls, that
were believed to belong to a species called Chasmosaurus,
looked “wrong.” For one, they had horns that were too long.
Investigating at other museums, the distinctive heart-shaped frill also
popped up in collections in western Canada. In total, he uncovered eight
partial skulls.

Apparently, Mojo couldn’t survive on good looks
alone. Longrich suspects that the hippo-sized herbivore roamed Canada’s
Alberta and Saskatchewan provinces for only about one million years

"Longrich
blurted it out one night while throwing a few back with fellow
paleontologists," writes Calamia. "With an article
published today in the Journal of Paleontology, the name went down on
the books."

Discover isn't the only magazine having a field day
with the name. Mother Jones (affectionately referred to as "MoJo" by its
staffers and readers) is having a field day with the association: